Ex-parking head accused of stealing from Pa. city

(02-05) 12:00 PST New Castle, Pa. (AP) --

A former parking official in a financially troubled Pennsylvania city is accused of stealing more than $100,000 from parking meters.

Gary Stone Jr. was laid off last year as head of New Castle's parking authority. He was arraigned Thursday on theft charges.

County officials say the 33-year-old New Castle resident reported that the meters collected $342 for all of 2006 and 2007. When police took over the meter collections for the first time last year, they took in more than $54,000.

Stone's home telephone is unlisted and he has not returned a message left with relatives.

New Castle was declared financially distressed last year under a state law designed to help struggling communities. The declaration led to Stone's layoff.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/02/05/national/a120052S23.DTL

Two indicted in PA fraud allegations

Wednesday, February 4, 2009 at 12:56PM

In the following press release (page 3) Mary Beth Buchanan, United States Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania announced that a grand jury returned a one-count indictment charging Anthony J. Staph Jr., age 42, 132 Firestone Drive, New Castle, Pennsylvania 16105 with Bank Fraud. The indictment alleges that Staph participated in a Bank Fraud Scheme involving Affordable Housing of Lawrence County, Inc. and First Commonwealth Bank.

It is alleged that participants in the bank fraud scheme arranged for Affordable Housing of Lawrence County to purchase seven properties at prices in excess of their fair market values, and that Affordable Housing of Lawrence County applied for a loan from First Commonwealth Bank to purchase the properties.

It is further alleged that Staph prepared fraudulent appraisals of the seven properties that were to serve as collateral for Affordable Housing of Lawrence County’s loan from First Commonwealth Bank. It is alleged that the appraisals were fraudulent in that they overstated the fair market value of the properties, misrepresented the condition of the properties, and falsely represented that the properties were occupied.

In a separate but related charge, the United States Attorney filed a one-count Information charging Gary F. Felasco, Jr., age 41, of Warren, Pennsylvania with willfully failing to file his 2005 income tax returns.

http://www.mortgagefraud.org/journal/2009/2/4/two-indicted-in-pa-fraud-allegations.html

New Castle man arrested after threats

New Castle man arrested after threats

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A New Castle man faces a string of charges, including aggravated assault, after he doused a woman's clothing in gasoline, then threatened to ignite and kill her, then burn down his home, state police said yesterday.

Jeffrey Raymond Burkey, 37, then fired a 12-gauge shotgun twice as the 43-year-old woman ran from the house, police said. When Mr. Burkey learned that the woman had called police from her cell phone, he fled in his car, leading troopers on a short chase before his arrest.

Mr. Burkey was charged with reckless endangerment, terroristic threats, simple assault and harassment in the Thursday night attack. He was in the Lawrence County Jail on $100,000 bond.

First published on January 27, 2009 at 12:25 am

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09027/944799-100.stm#ixzz0HerfnlCt&D

New Castle Man Arrested For Purse Snatching

NEW CASTLE (KDKA) - A New Castle man is behind bars today accused in two purse snatching incidents and stealing a car.

Officials say it all started when 36-year-old Robert Hilke allegedly stole a purse from a woman at a Giant Eagle parking lot.

State Police arrested Hilke on Saturday in Lawrence County in a separate incident after he allegedly grabbed Valerie Mayfield's purse out of her shopping cart in a Wal Mart parking lot.

Authorities say he drove off at a high speed that eventually ended in vehicle crash.

Police report that Hilke hit a car at a stop sign at the intersection of West Washington Street and continued speeding until his vehicle went airborne and struck a railroad sign.

Hilke suffered a cut to his face and a female passenger in his car was uninjured.

Charges are pending in the Wal Mart incident and traffic crashes.

http://kdka.com/topstories/New.Castle.Lawrence.2.387004.html

Woman Accused Of Robbing Lawrence County Bank With Gun

UNION TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- A man and a woman suspected of robbing a bank in Union Township, Lawrence County, are in custody, state police at the New Castle barracks said.Betty Jo Buteria, 40, and Gregory Lee Wilmouth, 51, were arraigned Tuesday on robbery charges in connection with a hold-up at First Merit Bank on West State Street. Police said a woman, who they believe is Buteria, showed a black semiautomatic pistol during the robbery Saturday. No injuries were reported.Buteria and Wilmouth, both of Edinburg, are being held on $100,000 bond each.

http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/18477166/detail.html

CONVICTED: Stewart guilty of criminal conspiracy

Kailin Stewart was convicted yesterday of criminal conspiracy in the Feb. 12, 2005, shooting death of Carmen Oliva.

A jury of eight men and four women who found him guilty acquitted Stewart of first-and third degree murder charges in the case.

Stewart is to be sentenced on the conspiracy conviction in 90 days.

With homicide charges no longer pending, defense attorney Michael Frisk asked that bond be set for his client.

Stewart soon will be eligible for parole in a separate illegal gun possession conviction, for which he is currently incarcerated in a Greene County state prison, Frisk said.

He asked that Stewart be allowed to stay in the Lawrence County jail until he is sentenced.

Lawrence County Common Pleas Judge Thomas Piccione, the presiding judge, said he would make the request.

District Attorney John Bongivengo requested Stewart’s bond be set at $250,000, and Piccione set it at $200,000. He also denied Frisk’s motion for acquittal.

Frisk reiterated his argument, that the “mere presence or knowing that a crime was committed” is not enough for a conspiracy conviction and that the commonwealth had not met its burden of proving its case beyond a reasonable doubt — especially in light of the jury’s not guilty verdicts on the murder charges.

Bongivengo, who prosecuted the case, took exception.

“There was enough evidence for the conviction,” he said. “Conspiracy does not have to be spoken, but in this case it was. We had (Stewart) saying ‘We’re going to take care of it.’ And a relationship — a father and son. That was enough evidence, albeit circumstantial.”

Piccione said he had deferred acting on the defense’s motion, but decided let the verdict stand.

Both attorneys said they had anticipated the verdict.

“I expected convictions on the murder charges, but I’m satisfied,” Bongivengo said. “We had the evidence.”

He also said he did not believe the six-month break between the start and conclusion of the trial adversely affected the outcome.

They jury was attentive. Earlier testimony was read to them. They took notes. They were interested.”

Frisk said he is happy with the dismissal of the murder charges, but said he plans to appeal the conspiracy conviction.

“I believe I have a good basis for appeal,” he said. “In my six and one-half years defending cases, I have never had a judge reserve a ruling on an acquittal request until the end of the trial,” he said. “They are usually denied immediately.”

He said he believes the delay might have hurt his case.

“The testimony was read to them, but as good as she was, Mary Beth Thomas (who read the parts of the witnesses) did not convey the spaced-out essence of Trucker Bob,” he said.

Piccione thanked the jury members for their “extraordinary participation.

“You were fair and attentive, took your time and looked at the facts,” he told them. “Our society and democracy would not exist without sacrifices people are willing to make.”

The trial began June 11 but was recessed for six months after only two days of testimony. Bongivengo had filed an appeal with the Pennsylvania Superior Court after Piccione ruled the commonwealth could not use an un-Mirandized statement Stewart had made to prosecutors.

The appeals court upheld Piccione’s ruling in December, clearing the way for the trial to resume.

To refresh everyone’s memories, portions of the June trial testimony were read to the jury Monday morning.

Testimony was concluded Wednesday. Both attorneys argued their points of view and the case went to the jury just after noon.

The jury was excused around 5 p.m. when potentially icy road conditions developed. They resumed deliberations at 9:30 a.m. yesterday, and reached a verdict at 11 a.m.

http://www.ncnewsonline.com/archivesearch/local_story_009100121.html

Man shoots woman in Russian roulette gone wrong, cops say

Eric Poole, Ledger Staff

01/08/2009

NEW CASTLE - A 21-year-old man is accused of shooting a New Castle woman Wednesday night in what police called a game of Russian roulette gone wrong.
Tyler Lloyd Culver-McMillan was charged Thursday in the shooting of Nicole Duddy at her home, 1148 Crestview Gardens, around 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Culver-McMillan has no known address, according to documents filed by New Castle police with the office of District Judge Melissa Amodie.

According to the court documents, officers were called to Duddy's home immediately after the shooting. At that time, police said she was bleeding from her left buttock and complaining of abdominal pain. Officers did not find an exit wound for the bullet.

Duddy told police an unknown man had come into her home and tried to rape her before shooting her. Based on a description provided by Duddy, police apprehended a man who said he was Dajuan Walker, although officers were unable to verify that identity.

New Castle police said that they were preparing to interrogate Walker when Lawrence County's 911 center told them that Duddy wanted to talk to police again. In that conversation, Duddy changed her initial report.

Duddy told police that the attempted-rape report was false and that she had been in her apartment with two men, Culver-McMillan and a second man who was not charged, when Culver-McMillan began playing with a revolver.

Duddy said she told Culver-McMillan to put the gun away because she was concerned about her safety and that of her son, who also was in the apartment.

Police said Culver-McMillan responded by unloading all but one chamber of the revolver, spinning the chambers Russian roulette-style, and put the gun to Duddy's left buttock before pulling the trigger.

The gun discharged, injuring Duddy, and Culver-McMillan and the other man ran off. Duddy said she made up the rape story because she feared reprisals from Culver-McMillan's family, according to the court documents.

After talking with Duddy, police questioned the man who claimed to be Dajuan Walker and he admitted that he was Culver-McMillan. He was then arrested by police.

Duddy was taken to St. Elizabeth Health Center in Youngstown, Ohio. WPXI-TV (Channel 11) reported Thursday that Duddy was in critical but stable condition, but a spokeswoman for St. Elizabeth said the hospital had no
information on her treatment.

Culver-McMillan has been charged with aggravated assault, illegal firearm possession, carrying a firearm without a license, reckless endangerment, simple assault and harassment.

After arraignment before Amodie, Culver-McMillan was placed in the Lawrence County Jail on $250,000 bond.

http://www.ellwoodcityledger.com/site/news.cfm?dept_id=563781&newsid=20237656